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Worth Star-Telegram, Monday, July 19, 1993 ''To me, calling a person a sinner is a sin," Swami Shuddhananda Brahmachari of Calcutta, India, said after speaking to the Dallas-Fort Worth Hindu Temple Society at its Irving sanctuary. Continually telling people they are sinful only breeds more immorality and creates more business for psychiatrists, he said, speaking softly in English and keeping a crowd of about 100 in rapt attention as he sat crossed-legged for more than two hours. "Instead, we should recognize the divine being that is ourselves and try to recognize that divinity in everyone we meet," he said, "Self-condemnation produces more bad things." But the bearded, saffron-robed Hindu cleric, who spent years in prayer and meditation in a Himalayan retreat before becoming a swami (Sanskrit for spiritual teacher), said his remarks should not be taken as criticism of other religions. "I realize some in Christianity preach in that way," said Shuddhananda, 46, the founder of the Lokenath Divine Mission, which helps the poor in India by providing education, health care and vocational training. The swami is scheduled to speak in September in Chicago at the 100th anniversary meeting of the Parliament of the World's Religions. In 1893, at the first parliament,, Swami Vivekkananda, the first Hindu religious teacher to come to North America, became widely known for interpreting Hinduism for a Western audience."He was the first Eastern monk of the Hindu religion to present it in a way that could be understood by the rational mind," said Shuddhananda, who added that he will have a similar goal when he addresses the Chicago gathering. He will also be making appearances in New Orleans, Knoxville, Tenn., and Washington, D.C. "My purpose is to be a bridge between the East and the West," he said. "I believe when these two cultures are blended, we will have a better world." Shuddhananda's message warned of he dangers of seeking happiness through a grasping materialism. But he said a desire for possessions should not simply be shunned. Instead, people should seek a harmony between such goods and spirituality. "May be this is the time for people all over the world to get a deep understanding of the purpose of human life," he said. "What do we wat to achieve? Should we run after pleasure and get lost in it? "Materialism can be a blessing or a curse," he said, recommending that meditation and prayer should be integrated into daily life to calm the mind and get in touch with the divine. "I have a busy schedule, but I find 15 minutes out of every day that belong only to me and to God," the swami said. Such prayers are not just for the clergy, he said. "Every human being can have a taste of the divine." Many misconceptions exist in the West about the world's 720 million Hindus, he said."In the minds of many Christians, Hindus are idol worshipers." Shuddhananda said. "But the gods and goddesses you see around you in this temple are only different manifestations of one truth, one God," he said. "Hindus, when they worship, use these gods and goddesses to seek ultimate truth. "Hinduism is not a dogmatic, rigid, ritualistic religion," he said. "Instead, it is the science of all science. It seeks to enlighten human beings and help them achieve true harmony of matter and spirit." He said that the recent publicity about bloody street battles between Hindus and Muslims in India, which lead to the burning of mosques and temples, do not truly reflect the way religions generally coexist there, he said. But what has occurred is a symptom of the disease of bigotry that can be found in all of human society, the swami said. Earlier, he showed a slide of a school he helps run whose student body is all Muslim. No attempt is made to convert the children to Hinduism, which is not a proselytizing faith. "I have no business of converting anyone to my religion," he said. "Hinduism does not believe in the concept of human conversion. We like to see every human being flourish in his own way."
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